This invention relates to sequence generators for producing sequences of binary numbers. More specifically, the invention is concerned with a generator which can easily be adjusted to produce a variety of different sequences.
One way of generating a sequence of binary numbers is to store the whole sequence in a memory and to address the memory with a counter so as to read out each number in turn. The sequence can then easily be altered simply by re-programming the memory. However, this is very expensive in terms of memory, particularly in the case of long sequences.
Another possibility would be to use a binary counter with its outputs connected to a set of multiplexers which can be switched to produce a specified permutation of the output bits. However, this requires a large number of multiplexers and hence would be expensive. Moreover, the sequence length would not be variable but would be limited to the cycle length of the counter.
The object of the present invention is to provide a novel sequence generator which does not require a large memory or a large number of multiplexers.